Is sharing Ola, Uber cab cheaper than driving your own car?

NEW DELHI: The first phase of the odd-even scheme in Delhi saw a positive effect on the Capital's climate, which prompted the state government to try it for another fortnight, starting from April 15.While the rule brought out its own share of inconveniences, it also brought the spotlight on new transport options for daily commuters.

Cab firms, especially in NCR, cashed in on the opportunity, aggressively promoting their cab sharing and carpooling services. Their pitch: Less hassle and more savings.

Is that really possible?

ET.com conducted a little experiment to see just how much cheaper these pooling services are. For the ease of calculations, we assumed the drive to be 30km, a typical long commute from home to office.

Considering a petrol price of Rs. 61 per litre (approx, for Delhi), the average driver spends around Rs. 153 for a 30km ride (assuming the car has a 12 km per litre mileage).

Now, taking a shared cab from Ola will cost you Rs 256 (approx.) for the same 30km trip. Ola's rival Uber offers the same ride for a price of Rs 231. This means 2 people can travel for this price, halving the cost further. So, if you are travelling with a friend, the shared ride with Ola will cost you around Rs 128 while with Uber it will be further reduced to Rs 115!

Comparing these costs, every trip undertaking will save you Rs 25 upwards. Assuming this to be just for going to work, we have doubled this amount to Rs 50, to calculate the amount saved every working day. For the five days a week working folks, that's almost Rs 13,050, and for those working six days a week, shared rides save us over Rs 15,650 on fuel alone!

Car pooling services like Blablacar.com offers customers prices as low as Rs 60 for a 30km ride. This will bring your savings up to well over Rs 59,000 per year!

That's just one part of it. Car pooling or sharing saves you from the cost of purchasing a car, maintenance and insurance, and yes, that hefty parking bill. Ride sharing and carpooling have truly paved the way for the economy and the environment alike. With prices well below those of availing personal cabs, the shared rides have been seen to be even cheaper than owning your own car!